Myrtle Beach, SC, Orlando, FL September 5, 2015

Gastonia, NC Correspondent-To my mind, the single most important issue facing any presidential candidate in the upcoming election is immigration, because it affects every other issue under consideration.  Until we figure out a way to make our immigration policy into something approaching rationality, we’re going to continue wasting countless time and millions of dollars chasing our tails over what to do about legal and illegal immigrants.

Look at any candidate’s statements on immigration over the last 10 years and you’ll be lucky if you don’t end up slamming your head in a door to drown out the drumbeat of “play to the audience” speechification.  Republicans and Democrats alike have shown an alarming tendency to change their message depending on their listeners, and then do something completely different when it comes time to actually vote on legislation.

Do we need to “crack down” on illegal immigration? Well, that depends on what you mean by cracking down. Trump wants a border fence (an idea that makes about as much sense as his hairstyle) while other candidates want everything from drone patrols to (you know it’s coming) Terminator-style robots programmed to shoot at anyone who can’t successfully name this year’s “Dancing with the Stars” contestants.

And what do we do with the folks who got here 10, 15 or 20 years ago and have been contributing, law-abiding members of society every since despite not being legal citizens?  Do we treat them the same as a furtive fellow caught skulking across the border with a bag of heroin clenched in his teeth?  Some would have us do so.

I don’t know the answer, although my personal belief is that if you had the gumption to get here and have proven yourself to be of good character, you should get a wink and a nod and be allowed to stay.  Shouts of “slippery slope” would drown me out, there, but this is my opinion piece, not yours.

Prescott Valley, AZ Correspondent-The most pressing issue for presidential candidates in the upcoming election is illegal immigration, and that issue has been critically discussed, regurgitated and unanswered since the various waves of illegal aliens have inundated the country after the passage of the 1965 Immigration Act, which the late Senator Ted Kennedy sponsored and touted as a basis for lifting immigration limits and providing chain migration for family reunification purposes.    Others in support of this damaging bill declared and claimed that no radical changes in immigration patterns or ethnic balances would cause disproportion and chaos in the country, but statistics indicate otherwise, and Americans know the score.

Illegal immigration is the most crucial issue for candidates, as both past and current history indicate its ongoing ramifications along with its unresolved status.  There is no doubt that illegal immigrants, whether invading through the southern border,  relocating to America by way of H-1B Work Visas, or through other means,  have created  social, economic, legal and political ramifications for our culture, coupled with the very survival of the United States as a sovereign and law abiding nation.  Without strict control and enforcement within these crucial areas, collapse is inevitable.

The numbers of illegals alone, which is purported to be between 11 and 30 million,  have severely strained the infrastructure of America since their upward migrations into the country from the 1960’s and beyond.  They have tipped and shattered the scales of justice with their consumption from the welfare and entitlement trough, as well as hijacked low-skilled jobs from needy native citizens, voted illegally, claimed birthright citizenship for their offspring (while downgrading and devaluing the citizenship process itself), infiltrated and bankrupted the educational, medical, legal and criminal justice system, all of which has created a crisis situation and placed unsustainable burdens on America.

No country can survive with the inhabitants of another country controlling its established system of government, its culture and its borders.  If a serious presidential candidate, whether Republican or Democrat, is not aware of those precepts, or refuses to abide by them, he or she has no business tossing his or her hat into the ring for the “highest office of the land.”   In order to resolve the horrendous problems associated with unfettered illegal immigration,  political  and personal points of view, whether they promote the advancement of a democrat voting block or provide an influx of cheap labor,  must be set aside and replaced with common sense and workable solutions.  The country and the interests of Americans must come first, not the dreams of low-level immigrants pursuing entitlements and those seeking destruction of our country through sinister means.  Candidates must keep these concepts in perspective for the betterment and restoration of America’s immigration system.

Immigration laws are clearly in place that govern invasion by a foreign presence and those laws must be enforced to survive as a nation.  Every candidate must commit to uphold the current immigration laws of the land and any other laws that affect the implementation of solid and lasting immigration reform.  Illegal immigration is an all encompassing problem that affects the sovereignty, security and existence of a great nation, and only candidates committed to the cause of the survival of the Republic need apply.